Podcast for Inquiry S03E08: Behind the Scenes at Podcast for Inquiry

I gave the keynote address at the Centre for Inquiry Canada’s Annual General Meeting in March. That address is today’s special episode of Podcast for Inquiry. I talk about the principles underlying the podcast, the rules and guidelines they led to, and some of the difficult decisions those working on the podcast had to make. I also delve into freedom of expression, applying how different levels of censorship have affected Podcast for Inquiry.

Support Podcast for Inquiry on Patreon, subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts (Spotify Apple Google Deezer Player.fm), or listen here:  

A video recording is also available: 

Cost of Religion in Canada at Toronto Oasis

I was the guest speaker at the March 17, 2024 meeting of Toronto Oasis. I opened my remarks with two startling claims: that I have psychic powers, and that Canada subsidizes religious institutions by over $5.6 billion every year. 

I proceeded to explain how the latter number was derived, based on rigourous research by the Centre for Inquiry Canada, but remained mum about my purported clairvoyant abilities. 

My presentation runs from 1:05 to about 25:20, followed by an extensive Q&A session with members of Toronto Oasis. 

Toronto Oasis is a secular community that meets online every Sunday morning for community discussions on engaging and sometimes controversial topics.

Enjoy!

The God Gig is Easy!

Keith Semple has started a podcast, where he talks about being a Northern Irish Humanist living in the United States. I was his guest and talk give a Canadian perspective on politics and secularism, as well as my own journey to secular Humanism. It was a fun conversation, and I hope you enjoy it too.

My favourite quotation from Keith: "Leslie, I think you have a career in simply making bumper stickers for secular people."

It's available via The Semple Truth wherever you listen to podcasts, on Keith's Semple Truth website, or you can watch it below:

Let me know what you think.

Putting a Number on the Cost of Religion in Canada

Last month I had the pleasure of being part of a roundtable discussion with the BC Humanist Association, hosted by Humanist Canada, about the cost of religion in Canada. It was a fun and engaging conversation, covering most of what was discussed in CFIC's Cost of Religion reports, plus some additional insights based on original research done by the BCHA.

Watch and learn how just a few policy choices from all three levels of government costs Canadians over $5.6 billion - yes, with a "b" - every year, in direct and indirect subsidies to religious organizations. 

Podcast for Inquiry S03E07: Misguided: My Jesus Freak Life In A Doomsday Cult with Perry Bulwer

Perry Bulwer (Facebook) speaks about his part-memoir, part-exposé book, Misguided: My Jesus Freak Life in a Doomsday Cult. Perry describes what first attracted him to the cult, and why he stayed in it for nearly 20 years. Perry recounts the lasting damage from his time in the Children of God, to himself and especially to those born into it. 

Support Podcast for Inquiry on Patreon, subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts (Spotify Apple Google Deezer Player.fm), or listen here:  

A video recording is also available: 

Podcast for Inquiry S03E06: Free Agents: How Evolution Gave Us Free Will, with Kevin Mitchell

Kevin Mitchell (@WiringtheBrain) is Associate Professor of Genetics and Neuroscience at Trinity College Dublin and writes the blog Wiring the Brain. His book, Free Agents, argues that evolution gave us Free Will. Kevin begins by describing free will, how life has it but rocks do not, and the gradient of choice from paramecia to humans. He talks about the thought experiment of “Rewinding the Tape” and whether someone could have done otherwise under identical circumstances. Kevin discusses the fundamental indeterminacy woven into the fabric of the universe at the quantum scale, and how that combines with chaotic systems to make many aspects of the universe both unpredictable and undetermined. Finally, Kevin speculates about the ramifications of his research and findings on social intuitions and institutions.

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A video recording is also available: 

Podcast for Inquiry S03E05: Julien Musolino asks, Who cares if Libertarian Free Will is scientifically incoherent?

Dr. Julien Musolino is a cognitive scientist and author of The Soul Fallacy. He explains why the intuitively, commonly-held notion of free will - known as “libertarian” or “contra-causal” - is scientifically incoherent. This has some implications for how we view ourselves and how we treat others, but on many levels it also doesn’t matter. Julien restores the concept of free will by providing a different definition of free will at a higher level of abstraction. Along the way, Julien and I delve into ideas from philosophy, morality, politics, and sociology.

Publications referenced in the conversation:

• For the law, neuroscience changes nothing and everything, by Joshua Greene
• Moral Responsibility Reconsidered, by Gregg D. Caruso
• Free is as real as baseball, by Sean Carroll  

Support Podcast for Inquiry on Patreon, subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts (Spotify Apple Google Deezer Player.fm), or listen here:  

A video recording is also available: 

Podcast for Inquiry S03E04: Maryam Namazie and The Paris Appeal

Maryam Namazie (@MaryamNamazie) is the spokesperson for One Law for All and the Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain. In December 2023, the CEMB released The Paris Appeal, calling for Laics of all countries to unite. Maryam explains the purpose and content of The Paris Appeal, and along the way gets into the difference between laïcité and secularism, and reveals the religious court system in England that denies many women the rights they ought to enjoy. Maryam also talks about World Hijab Day, what the hijab means, and concludes with a passionate analysis of Québec’s religious symbols law.

Support Podcast for Inquiry on Patreon, subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts (Spotify Apple Google Deezer Player.fm), or listen here:  

A video recording is also available: 

Podcast for Inquiry S03E03: Sandra Dunham asks: Why does Canada give $5.6 billion annually to religious charities?

Canada allows organizations that do nothing but “advance religion” to be classified as charities. This policy decision costs Canadians at least $5.6 billion every year, according to the Centre for Inquiry Canada's Cost of Religion reports. Sandra Dunham explains what this amount includes, how it was calculated, and the many benefits that religious institutions enjoy in addition to this figure.  

Support Podcast for Inquiry on Patreon, subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts (Spotify Apple Google Deezer Player.fm), or listen here:  

A video recording is also available: 

Podcast for Inquiry Diatribe #3: Insurance and Pharmacy Companies Collude to Coerce

Canadians with group benefits covered by Manulife will soon be able to fill certain prescriptions only at Loblaw-owned pharmacies, such as Shoppers Drug Mart.

In my third Podcast for Inquiry Diatribe, I fulminate against this blatantly anti-competitive, coercive arrangement that harms everyone it affects except for the profits of two of Canada’s largest companies. I explain why this deal ought to be a violation of Canadian law, and predict that, if allowed to stand, much more - and worse - is to come. 

As with all Diatribes, the opinions expressed are mine alone and do not represent CFIC or any other ogranization. 

Support Podcast for Inquiry on Patreon, subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts (Spotify Apple Google Deezer Player.fm), or listen here:  

A video recording is also available: 

Podcast for Inquiry S03E02: The life of a refugee in exile: “Omer” shares his story

“Omer” (a pseudonym) was born and raised in Pakistan, but his life was threatened when he expressed doubts about the inerrancy of Islam. He survived a manhunt by the Pakistani government, and now lives as a refugee in Nepal. Omer is the first Pakistani atheist to reach 100,000 subscribers on his YouTube channel. He has been accepted by Canada as a permanent resident, but exit permit issues mean Omer cannot leave Nepal for an indeterminate period. You may contribute to supporting Omer (who is not allowed to work in Nepal) by making a donation to CFIC. 

Support Podcast for Inquiry on Patreon, subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts (Spotify Apple Google Deezer Player.fm), or listen here:  

A video recording is also available: 

Podcast for Inquiry S03E01: Liberalism a post-liberal world, with Russell Blackford

 A new year, a new season of Podcast for Inquiry!

Podcast for Inquiry starts 2024 with a deep discussion into the philosophical concept of liberalism, and of how Western culture has strayed from it as an ideal. Russell Blackford (@Metamagician) is a philosopher, literary critic, and widely published author. Russell talks about how the philosophical principle of Liberalism runs through his two most recent books, The Tyranny of Opinion and How We Became Post-Liberal. Our conversation starts with a definition of how Liberalism emerged over the past few centuries, and delves into two of its core concepts: free speech and toleration. We also discuss how group dynamics can lead to polarization and how society can return to liberal values. 

Support Podcast for Inquiry on Patreon, subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts (Spotify Apple Google Deezer Player.fm), or listen here:  

A video recording is also available:

Two Incredible Years of Podcast for Inquiry

The following article was initially published in the January 2024 edition of the Centre for Inquiry Canada's monthly newsletter, Critical Links.

It's been two amazing years of Podcast for Inquiry, and it continues to be a source of tremendous pride to host fascinating conversations, every two weeks. We brought you 25 discussions in 2023, plus three bonus episodes featuring Leslie defending secular principles in various contexts. 

Here are some highlights: 

We kicked off the year with a passionate defense of morality on secular grounds from Phil Zuckerman. This remains one of my favourite conversations to date. At one point, professor Zuckerman launches into a defense of secular values and governance with a passion and eloquence that rivals anything I've heard from Dawkins or Hitchens. If you haven't already listened to this episode, you're missing out.

The topic of religion and cults was a recurring theme in 2023, including conversations with:

• Dr. Joshua Bowen on Biblical [in]accuracy
• Chris Shelton on Scientology and destructive cults
  
• Philippa Carter on What is a Religion?
  
• Noah Rasheta on Secular Buddhism
  
• Seth Andrews on Christians acting in un-Christian ways (this was the year's most popular episode on YouTube, with 40,000+ views and over 200 comments!)
• David Fitzgerald claiming Solomon, Jesus and Mohammed are all fictional

Science featured prominently:

• Ashely Esakin on Gardening in any Environment
• Allan Offenberger on the Current State of Fusion Research
  
• Dana Korneisel on tetrapods (and axolotls!)
  
• Tara Moriarty on Communicating Scientific Knowledge during Covid
  

Podcast for Inquiry delved into Politics:

• Srishti Hukku on Misogyny in Humanism
• Tonya Callaghan on Homophobia in Catholic Schools
• Eunju Kim on Escaping North Korea
  

Economics was scrutinized:

• Paris Marx on “Don’t be Evil” no longer applies
  
• Dr. Evelyn Forget on Basic Income
  
• Gretchen Morgenson on How Private Equity Runs and Wrecks America
  

A couple episodes demonstrated the benefits of Research and Critical Thinking: 

• David McRaney on How Minds Change
  
• Dr. Teale Phelps Bondaroff on Do Cities listen to the Supreme Court?
  

Finally, three bonus episodes where I expound upon Secular Values in various contexts:

• A debate on God's Role in Politics (against a Catholic scholar and lawyer)
• A presentation to an International Humanist Conference on Humanism in Children and Women's Rights
• A diatribe about what Canadian Catholic Hospitals consider Ethics

We have a couple incredible episodes to kick off 2024: a conversation with an Australian philosopher about our post-liberal world, and an intimate view into the life of Omer, a Pakistani refugee (sponsored by CFIC) waiting to come to Canada.

I'd love to hear your feedback. Let me know what you loved, how we can improve, and what you want to hear on Podcast for Inquiry. I can always be reached at podcast@centreforinquiry.ca. 

Leslie Rosenblood, your host on CFIC's Podcast for Inquiry